Film-treating apparatus.



F. THOMPSON. FILM TREATING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 26. IQIS Patented Mar. 26, 1918.

2 sHEETs-sHEET 1.

F E IIIIIIIIII E E i ig? F. B. THOMPSON.

FILM TREATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 26. 1916. I 1,260,595. Patented Mar. 26,1918.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- FREDRICK B. THOMPSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FILM-TREATING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 26, 1918.

Application filed June 26, 1916. Serial No. 105,986.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDRICK B. THoMP- SON, citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Film-Treating Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which 'it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in film-treating apparatus,- and more particularly to that class of apparatus used in and about the development, fixingand drying of motion-picture film-tape.

In the treatment of photographic film-tape for developing, fixing, washing and drying the same, said tape swells and elongates by absorption of liquid and thereafter shrinks back to its normal state in drying.

This tape is most advantageously treated in long lengths and the elongation and shrinkage thereof has been found t be a serious factor to contend with in the mechanism used for passing the same through the tanks and drier.

In my copending application for patent, filed Sept. 15, 1915, Ser. No. 50,866 I have illustrated and described mechanism for frictionally engaging film-tape for passing the same through the tanks and drier. present invention relates more particularly to-specific improvements in the said apparatus and also in the apparatus illustrated and described in my co-pending application for patent," filed Aug; 16, 1915, Ser. No. 455,845.

The partlcular objects of the present invention are: I v First: To provide apparatus including containers for liquids, and a drying cham ber, equipped-with mechanism for efiecting continuous passage of film-tape throughthe same, and including means for automatically compensating for elongation and shrinkage of the film tape due to absorption and evapo-' respectively. I

Second To provide means of the character defined which will maintaip the filmtape under substantially constant and uniform tension, and will prevent any fracturin strain on the same.

Third: To provide means of the character defined which includes means for removing surfaces.

The'

free liquid from the film-tape surfaces asthe same leaves the liquid containers and before entering the drying chamber, to promote drying and prevent spotting due to the drying of drops of liquid on the film-tape Fourth: To provide mechanisms for effecting the passage of the film-tape through the liquid containers and driers, each of which is operable independently of the other and also in unison manually operable control for throwing either or both mechanisms out of action.

Fifth: To provide mechanisms as aforesaid which are adapted to frictionally engage the film tape and in which the aforesaid means perform the function of maintaining the film-tape operatively with said mechanisms.

' Other objects of the invention will appear from the following specification.

engaged therewith, and to provide a v In the accompanying drawings illustrat ing a suitable embodiment of my invention:

Figure -1 is a fragmentary detail vertical longitudinal section of film-treatlng apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. -2' is a fragmentary detail top plan View of the same.

Fig. -3 is a detail vertical sectlon of the same on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a detail horizontal section of the same on the line 4-4: of Fig. 1-.

The film-treating apparatus to which this invention particularly relates comprises a plurality of tanks or containers for liquids through which the film-tape is passed successively to develop, fix andwash the same, and further comprises a drying chamber through which the wet film-tape is then passed. In order to facilitate drying there is interposed between the said tanks for the liquids and the drying chamber, a mechanism for removing from the surfaces of the film-tape all surplus moisture so that dryin is promoted and the surface of the tape wll be devoid of spots due to the evaporation of drops of liquid adhering to the surface thereof, and leaving mineral deposits on the materially affect film-tape which frequently p10160t6d.

1 indition of a drying chamber which is preferably divided into compartments. Each of the tanks of the series, of which the tank 1 is an example, is equipped in its lower end with a drive-shaft 3, and above the tank there is mounted a companion idle-shaft 4, each of said shafts being equipped with a series of smooth surfaced flanged rollers 5 and 6 respectively, over which the film-tape is trained. The drying chamber 2 is similarly equipped with pairs of roller-carrying shafts 3 and 4, all as particularly illustrated and described in my aforesaid copending application Ser. No. 50,866. The film-tape is trained successively over pairs of companion driven and idle rolls on the shafts 3 and 4, respectively, and is thus frictionally driven through the several tanks and the drying chamber. The result of providing the drive shafts belowthe idle shafts is that in the event of slack in the film at any point, such slack will work back to the starting point of the driving mechanism, and prevent further'film being fed forward until such slack has been taken up forward of the point where it occurs. Undue tension strain on the film-tape at any point is thus entirely obviated.

During travel of the film-tape through the liquid-containing tanks it absorbs moisture and increases in length; whereas in the drying chamber the evaporation of the moisture therefrom effects a shrinkage of the tape back to its original length. The elongation and shrinkage will vary slightly and in order that such variations may be compensated for I provide between the series of liquid-containing tanks and the chamber means whereby such variation is automatically compensated for; said means preferably constituting a portion of the apparatus for removing'surplus moisture from the film-tape surfaces.

The film-tape as it passes from the last roller of the series carried by the shaft 4 above the tank 1 is trained over an idle roll 7, the surface of which is covered with a layer of chamois skin-or similar material. The said roller is rotatably mounted on a suitable standard 8 carried by a supporting standard or platform 9 of suitable construction. Associated with the roller 7 is a companion idle roll 10 having a similar chamois coated surface, and which is rotatably mounted in the outer end of an arm 11 pivotally secured to the upper end of the standard 8 for the roller 7, the said roller 10 thus being maintained by gravity in contact with the upper surface of the film-tape, and being adapted to remove moisture or liquid therefrom.

The film-tape is then trained over another chamois-covered idle roll 12 suitably mountdrying .platform 9. This roller 12 bears upon the surface of a driven roller 15 mounted below the same and geared to a countershaft 16 which also drives the shaft 3 in a manner more particularly disclosed in my aforesaid copending application Ser. No. 50,866, the surface speed of the said roller 15 being the same or very slightly less than that of the driven rolls 5. Above the said roller 12 there is mounteda similar companion roller 17 having a chamois-covered surface.- This roller is carried by the swinging support 18 and is adapted to normally bear upon the surface of the roller 12. Associated with the roller 17 is a spring-pressed roller 19 having a smooth metallic surface, and constituting a wrin-ger-roll for pressing the liquid out of the chamois covering of the roller 17. The roller 15 constitutes a similar wringer-roll for the roller 12 so that all free liquid taken up by the chamois skin or similar surfaces of the rollers 12 and 17 in excess of the maximum absorbing capacity of said coverings is taken off by the rollers 15 and 19.

Associated with the said roller 12 is an idle roll 20, the shaft of which'carries a weight 21. Said roller is suspended in the loop of the film depending from the said roll 12 and a companion idle roll 22 carried by standards on the said supporting member 9. The said roller 20 and weight 21 serve to maintain the film-tape under a predetermined constant tension, as will be obvious. After passing over the roller 22 the film-tape is again trained over the roll 12 and under the roll 17. From this roller the film-tape passes over an idle roll 24 and a companion suspended idle-roll 25 carrying the weight 26, and then again over a companion roll 27 on the shaft of the roll 24 after which the film-tape is trained over the idle and driven rolls respectively in the drying chamber 2. This roll 25 and its weight 26 serve to maintain the film-tape under tension in the drying chamber to insure its being driven forward through the same, and the two loops of the film-tape in which the said rolls 20 and 25 are suspended constitute surplusage or slack which may be taken up, or rather increased and decreased in accordance with the variations in travel of the film-tape through the liquid-containing tanks and drier respectively, and to compensate for elon ation and shrinkage thereof respectively. bus, for example, if thc film-tape is fed through'the drying chamber more slowly than it is fed forward from the liquid-containing tanks of the apparatus, the rollers 20 and 25 will move.

downwardly in accordance with the elongation of the loops of film-tape in which they are suspended; whereas, if the film-tape is driven through the drying chamber more rapidly than it is fed forward from the liquid tanks the said loops of film-tape in which the rolls 20 and 25 are suspended will become shorter, and will cause said rollers to rise. As the differences generally are relatively slight, the shortening or elongation of the loops in which said rollers are suspended will be very gradual, and will be watched by the operator, or, an alarm apparatus may be associated therewith which will automatically give warning at proper intervals of the fact that the loops are either unduly long or unduly short. If, for example, the loops should. become unduly elongated because of the delivery of film tape from the tanks 1 at a greater rate of speed than the same is taken up in the drying chamber, the operator will prevent the further feeding forward of tape from the tanks while permitting the tape to be continuously taken up in the drying chamber until the loops have been shortened to the extent necessary. This may be accomplished either by stopping the driving mechanism for the film-tape in the tanks 1 or by merely grasping the film-tape at a point between the roll 6 and roll 12, and preventing it from moving. This would'not cause a discontinuance of the movement of the drive mechanism in the tanks 1, but

would instantly'throw slack into the filmtape and thus prevent said mechanism from engaging. said film-tape to drive the same. Thus the driving mechanism in the drying chamber 2 would cause the loops of film-tape to be very rapidly shortened the requisite extent. If, on the other hand, the film-tape is being taken up more rapidly by the drive mechanism in the drying chamber 2 than it is being fed from the drive mechanism in the tanks 1, the said driving mechanism of the drying chamber 2 may be momentarily stopped until the loops of film-tape have been sufliciently elongated, or the'film-tape may be grasped at the point of its delivery from the driving mechanism of the drying chamber 2, thereby throwing slack therein and thus throwing it out of engaging relation to the driving mechanism, as will be obvious.

WVhile the foregoing may be accomplished I prefer to provide mechanism for stopping the-driving mechanisms and thus avoid the necessity of the film-tape being engaged by the operator to its possible injury, and to this end I provide suitable clutch mechanism illustrated in Figs. 1- and 4- The countershaft 16 is geared by means of the miter gears 23 and vertical shaft-28 with a countershaft 29 carrying a slidable frictiqn-clutch member 30 operable by a hand lever 31 and adapted to engage a companion member 32- consisting of a bevel 0r miter gear 33 meshing with the drive gear 34 on adrive shaft 35. A similar gear 36 meshes, with the gear 34 and constitutes one member of a friction clutch, the other or slidable member 37 of which is actuated by a hand lever 38 and is slidable on a countershaft carrying a miter or bevel gear 39 which meshes with a similar gear 40 on a vertical shaft 41 geared to the horizontal shaft 42 for driving the drive shafts 3 in the drying chamber.

When both the clutch members 29 and 37 are engaged with their companion clutch members the driving mechanisms for the film-tape in the tanks 1 and drier 2 are both driven. B throwing either of said members out of engagement with its companion member the mechanism controlled thereby will stop while the other mechanism controlled b v the other clutch member will continue to be driven. Thus either or both drive mechanisms may be actuated or all of same stopped at will.

By passing the film-tape between the several pairs of chamois-covered rolls all of the free liquid is removed from the surface thereof so that as the film-tape enters the drier it contains only absorbed liquid and both surfaces thereof will be free of drops of liquid; this being essential for reasons hereinbefore set forth. It will also be obvious that the film-tape will be maintained at all times under a uniform tension which cannot at any time exceed the tension imparted by the suspended idle rolls 20 and 25 and the weights attached thereto the latter being capable of being increased or diminished to satisfy requirements.

The weight of the roller 20 and its weight 21 is borne by the roll 12 which is thus held firmly down upon the driven roll 15, thereby preventing slippage between said rolls. These parts also cause the film tape trained over the roll 12 to be firmly frictionally engaged therewith to resist slippage so that the roll 12 determines the speed of travel of the film-tape through the tanks.

My invention is very simple and eflicient. While I have shown the same embodied in its preferred form, course, that the same may be modifiedandvaried in construction without departin from the invention as defined in the appen ed claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an apparatus for treating photographic film tape including), containers for liquids and a drying cham er, and mechanisms for efiecting continuousbtravel of the film tape successively through said contain.- ers and said drying chamber, means for actuating either of said mechanisms independ ently of the other, and means interposed betweensaid containers and said drier and engaged with said film tape formaintaining the latter under predetermined tension and: normally operatively engaged with said respective mechanisms.

2. In an apparatus for treating photographic film tape includin containers for liquids and a drying cham er, and mechanisms for it will be obvious, of "I ers and said drying chamber, means for actuating either of said mechanisms independently of the other, and means interposed between said containers and said drier and enphoto- 1 with either of said mechanisms independently of the other thereof, and means interposed between said containers and said drier and engaged with said film tape for maintaining the latter under redetermined tension and normally operatively engaged with said respective mechanisms, said interposed means including means for maintaining take-up loops of film-tape adapted to be elongated or shortened as the film tape is thrown out of engagement with, one or other of said drive mechanisms, said interposed means adapted to compensate automatically for variations in length and travel of the film tape through the containers and drier respectively.

4. In anapparatus for treating photographic film tape including contalners for liquids and a drler, and mechanism for frictionally engaging the film tape for passing the same continuously through said containers and drier, means interposed between the drier and the last of said containers and engaging the film-tape for maintaining the same normally under tension and operatively engaged with said mechanism, said means including rolls for removing liquid from the film tape surfaces, and means for maintaining a take-up 100 of film-tape suspended from some of sai rolls, said take-up loop being adapted to provide slack for comcontamers for.

pensating for variations in length of the film-tape due to the action of the fluids to which it is subjected. I

5. In an apparatus for treatin photographic film tape includin containers for liquids and a drier, and mec anism for frictionally engaging the film tape for passing the same continuously through said containers and drier, means interposed between the drier and the last of said containers and engaging the film-tape for maintaining the same normally under tension and operatively engaged with said mechanism, said means includin idle rolls over which the film-ta e is traine companion rolls bearing upon tlie film tape, some of said'rolls having coverings of liquid absorbent material and being ada ted to remove liquids from the film-tape sur aces, there being take-up loops of filmtape suspended from some of said rolls, and idle-rolls suspended in said loops formaintaining said film-tape under tension.

6. In an apparatus for treatin photographic film tape including containers for liquids and a drier, and mechanism for frictionally engaging the film tape for passing the same continuously through said containers and drier, means interposed between the drier and the last of said containers and engaging the film-tape for maintaining the same normally under tension and operatively engaged with said mechanism, said means includin idle rolls over which the film-tape is trained, companion rolls bearing upon the film tape, some of said rolls having coverings of liquid absorbent material and being adaptr ed to remove liquids from the film-tape surfaces, wringer rolls associated with the li uid absorbent rolls for removing liqui s therefrom, there being take-up loops of filmtape suspended from some of said rolls, and idle-rolls suspended in said loops for maintaining said film-tape under tension.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FREDRIOK B. THOMPSON. Witnesses M. M. BOYLE, G. I. KLIENELLE. 

